Space and France's War on Terror

摘要

The terrorist attacks that claimed 130 lives in Paris Nov. 13 are bound to have near-term impacts on France's defense spending plans, but three military space programs requiring substantial investments in the coming years should remain on track. The programs in question are the Comsat NG military satellite communications system; the three-satellite CERES electronic intelligence system; and the Multinational Space-based Imaging System (MUSIS), an effort recently joined by Germany in an arrangement that gives France access to German radar satellites. The three programs, which are recently or soon to be under contract, are expected to cost more than $300 million combined in 2016, with funding profiles pointing upward for subsequent years.